Friends and Foes Part 1
by Rei Gavin
Summary: The Storm Hawks travel to a legendary Terra to find the girl who has Aerrow's skimmer in her possesion. Is she to be a future Storm Hawk, or a puppet to The Dark Ace? My first ever Storm Hawks fanfic. Enjoy! Minor AxOC and DAxOC and AxP
1. The Chase

The roar of Aerrow's damaged skimmer filled Radaar's ears as he turned, looking frantically about for their pursuer, The Dark Ace. Aerrow's face grimaced when a red flash zoomed past his right ear. "Er! I don't know how much longer we can hold out." he murmured half to himself as he stole a glance at the lower left wing. It was sparking fiercely, and rattled like it were going to fall off anytime soon. Radaar squealed when The Dark Ace moved in on them again. Aerrow pulled down and told his co-pilot, "Hold on!"

The wings retracted, and the skimmer fell from the sky. Aerrow now led The Dark Ace through a massive tunnel, dodging spikes of jagged rock and leaping from one narrow pathway to the next. Behind, the fierce Talon leader taunted, "You really think this is gonna work on me, this time!?" He laughed and pushed daringly on his speed.

Aerrow glanced back, and he really wished he hadn't when he realized that one blind moment might cause him his life. "Oh, no!" He reared to the left sharply to avoid a large boulder in the middle of the pathway, and ramped up a pointed edge that was hidden behind it. Radaar let out a squeal as they flew over a black pit, full with thorny ridges and more than anything, death. The little creature's eyes bugged out as he spotted shards of old skimmers and what could've been skeletons. He felt faint and forced himself to look at his pilot.

Aerrow snarled and concentrated on avoiding any accidents as the skimmer landed fiercely on the other side. He took the clear chance to see if The Dark Ace was still following him and traded smiles with Radaar as there was no sign of him. "Looks like we lost him."

Outside the danky caves, the two Storm Hawks pulled slowly to a stop. Aerrow wiped a hand across his forehead and took a moment to scan over the area they were now surrounded with. The towers of grassy pillars rose far up into the sky, and Aerrow thought, probably could surpass even the sun. In fact, he could now see that the clouds were just nearly half a mile below them. "Huh."

Radaar shuddered a bit as he glanced back behind them, hearing eerie sounds in the dark hole and then the wind howling around them. It was a beautiful landscape, but, the silence of no other life than the two of them somewhat irritated him. But, he had to sigh with relief when he realized that there were no signs yet of Dark Ace.

"Well, Radaar, we better get back to the Condor. Our ride took a pretty bad beating back there… " the red-haired boy ran a hand over the cracked frame of his wind-shield. Radaar whimpered at the busted pipes beside him, and frowned at the wing that used to have a decent paintjob. "Don't worry, Radaar. Once we get her back to the ship, we can fix her back up and she'll be just as beautiful as ever! Trust me!" They both hopped back on and Aerrow fired it up, the engine now making a rather concerning rattling sound. "After that, there'll be nothing on these lands or skies prettier than--" His voiced trailed off as the sound of a distant skimmer grew louder. Closer. Their eyes widened and Aerrow's grip on the handles tightened. The Dark Ace! No… Aerrow's mouth curved into a smile and his tensed state relaxed. "Wow."

Above them, a girl with long, pink hair flew twisting and rolling from left to right, up and down, and pulling off stunts Aerrow only thought he was daring enough to do. Her skimmer glimmered and looked almost brand new. It's design was new to both Aerrow and Radaar, and was most likely, they thought, one of custom build. And how rare was it to see any female flyer with that length of hair. If she weren't flying, Aerrow thought, it probably would fall down to her waist if not just above. She wore no pendants or symbols of any sky knight, nor did she appear to belong to any squadron. The sky knight lowered a brow and let out a small chuckle when she landed on a near pillar and threw her arms into the air and let out a "Whoooo!!"

"Talented flyer, isn't she?"

Aerrow and Radaar jumped when The Dark Ace pulled right up next to them. Though, he appeared to have lost all interest in the Storm Hawks now. Instead, his eyes stayed on the girl who was now tending to the tires of her skimmer. "She's good with the wrench, too. And very aggressive in the battle field. Even though she's young, she can be quite useful. Someday, she's going to be one of us."

"Not if we get her first!"

Dark Ace glared at where Aerrow used to sit, and now at Aerrow flying to the girl. He snarled and fired up his own skimmer and flew full speed ahead.

Radaar yelped. Aerrow raised his voice to the girl, who seemed to be def to the three of them coming up on her. She bobbed her head from side to side, humming a tune to herself as she put away the washrag she was using to clean the hood of the engine. Suddenly, a boy's voice broke through her song with a "Look out!" and she turned in time to see a red flash flying straight at her. The pink-haired girl dove to the side and her skimmer blew up in flames after being struck with whatever it was that was thrown at her.

"Uh. No!" She sat up. "I just finished that!!" She pressed both of her hands to her temples and let out a low groan which now became a gasp as she felt someone's arm fold around her waist and pull her up fiercely off the ground. "W-whoa! Hey! Put me down, or I'll-- wah!"

Aerrow tried desperately to hold onto the flailing girl while he dodged the energy attacks being shot at him and Radaar by The Dark Ace. He felt a tug, and then a sudden pain in his side. "Ow! Hey! Now, is that how you repay someone who just saved your life?!"

With that, the sky knight pulled her up roughly so that she could sit in front of him. His eyes met hers, grey and full of smoky fury. They calmed, and her struggling stopped when he smiled at her. "That's better. I'm Aerrow, of the Storm Hawks. And this is Radaar." Radaar waved over his shoulder, a shy smile crossing his face. She smiled nervously herself.

"Um. I'm-- Look out!!"

Aerrow's brows lowered in confusion. The girl grabbed his right hand and pulled, turning the skimmer into a loop, avoiding another red flashing attack from what she could see now was coming from the dark-haired man behind them. Aerrow turned and saw two more Cyclonians pulling up next to the Dark Ace. "Tch!" He turned to face the girl again. "You can fly! Take the skimmer and get out of here!"

"W-What are you going to do?"

He winked, "Don't worry. I'll catch up after I take care of them."

"But--!"

Before she could protest, Aerrow had already leaped off and pulled out what she thought looked like wings. Under her, she felt the skimmer rattle once and give a tug. She turned to the fretful creature behind her and smiled, "You two had a pretty rough day today, haven't you?"

Aerrow flew up and turned sideways to avoid the constant energy attacks being thrown at him. His wings retracted as he landed on one of the hood of the Cyclonian's vehicle. The goggled man protested and swung a pole at him. Aerrow jumped and flipped over him and, using his energy blades, cut off the wings of his skimmer. As the sky knight flew on, the Cyclonian frowned and fell from the sky.

Ahead, Aerrow took out the second Cyclonian warrior with no trouble at all. But, now it was down to another fierce face-off with his rival, The Dark Ace.

As Aerrow landed on Dark Ace's vehicle, he stood and pointed one his twin blades at his enemy. "Why did you try to kill her if you need her?!"

The Dark Ace laughed, "I never said I _needed _her, Aerrow. I was just thinking I could prevent her from making the biggest mistake in her life by destroying her." He pulled out his sword and swung at Aerrow. They leapt from one wing to another, exchanging one attack with another.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Aerrow blocked.

"It doesn't have to!" Dark Ace swung once more, this time with enough force to knock Aerrow off of his feet. He fell hard and lost both of his weapons. The Dark Ace's shadow loomed over him as he looked back up ahead of himself.

Pointing his weapon down on Aerrow as he had done to him earlier, he laughed, "You see, Aerrow. We wouldn't be in this position if you would just considered joining us! But, then again…" his eyes glanced over at a very distant terra, "We don't need you, either." He raised his weapon up to strike down and finish the sky knight once and for all.

Suddenly, a loud horn blew off and the Dark Ace lowered his weapon. Aerrow smiled and Ace frowned at the sight of the Condor pulling up next to them. Under them, Junko's voice broke through screaming Aerrow's name. He reached out and they grabbed onto each others arm.

On the Condor, Finn sat at the gun, ready to fire when Aerrow was clear from the attack. Once he and Junko were clear, Piper gave to order to fire. The Dark Ace didn't have time to entirely dodge the new attack. Instead, he found himself abandoning his ride as it burst into flames. Finn let out a loud victory cry. "OH-HO YEAH!! THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!!"

"Great shot, Finn!" Piper exclaimed.

"Of course," Finn rubbed his fingernails against his shirt, "I NEVER miss!"

She rolled her eyes and smiled as Junko and Aerrow came into the hanger. Junko pulled out Aerrow's twin blades and handed them to their rightful owner. Piper ran up to them, worried and relieved.

"Aerrow! Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I think so." He patted his sides and looked around himself to make sure and suddenly found himself with arms full of Radaar. He took the moment to laugh with his comrads and greet Radaar with as much affection as he was showing him. But, then, she stopped.

"Wait. Radaar?!" He glanced around the ship, "But, how?"

Piper pointed out, "We saw your skimmer fly over and drop Radaar onto the Condor. It was kind of weird… but… Wait! That wasn't you?"

"No. I--" he was cut off when Radaar let out a squeal of exclamation.

The rest of the Storm Hawks looked down at him as he dug through his outfit and pulled out a small white card.

"What's this?" Aerrow knelt and pulled it from Radaar's fingers. He read aloud to the others, "'Okradana Body and Repair. The finest mechanics in all of Atmos. Terra Okradana.'"

Piper lowered a brow. "Terra Okradana? But, that terra doesn't exist."

Stork broke in, "Um, if I may point out, it does."

They looked at the merb, half in confusion and half in interest.

"Terra Okradana is the legendary 'SKY TERRA!' It is said to be so far up in Atmos, you can't even breathe!" He pulled his hands up to his throat and clenched them tightly together. "But, it holds, as the card says, the GREATEST mechanics in all of Atmost. Why, if we were to stumble across this terra, think of what magic they can work on the Condor! No more leaks, no more breakdowns, and best of all, we would never have to worry about energy-eating Kilkun Worms!!"

"Um… okay." Aerrow flipped the card over and smiled, "Whether it's real or not, looks like we've gotta make a stop."

On the backside of the card, a tiny message was written out.

"_Meet me there._

_-R."_


	2. Okradana and Rei

Terra Okradana did exist, and no one was more excited than Piper or Stork. Except Aerrow. He watched as the terra grew closer and closer. Who was this "R" girl? And why did the Dark Ace seem so determined to keep her away from the Storm Hawks. He realized now that he had forgotten to ask what Ace's relationship was with her. Did they know each other? She seemed not to recognize him, but, Aerrow could understand that she might've not gotten a good look at him with all the action going on then. But, what should matter to Aerrow now was getting his skimmer back from her.

Piper broke his thoughts when she shouted, "There it is! I can't believe it! It _is_ real!"

"If you can't believe it, why are you still looking at it?" Finn joked. She snarled at him and he backed off. Stork's hands began to shake on the controls. The excitement, the very thought of getting the Condor completely redone to the point of temporary invincibility was enough to make his head explode. He was surprised it hadn't yet. Junko tapped his fingers together and added, "I hope they have fried korka fish!"

The Condor moved in to a near landing strip and landed beautifully with the signaling of one of the air traffic controllers. All six Storm Hawks were greeted with great admiration after they were learned to be a Sky Knight and his squadron. According to the patrol officer of the landing strip, the old Storm Hawks were always welcomed to Okradana and were often showered with gifts and grand meals as thanks for protecting their terra and keeping it's location at a hush-hush level. Junko jumped up and down at the thought of being fed a grand meal as the one the man explained.

"Ah, yes," said the orange-haired patrolman, "The Storm Hawks did us many-a-great things! We really appreciated them. But, you have yet to prove yourselves if you wish to get that same kind of honor and treatment."

"Don't worry, sir. We won't tell anyone where your terra is. I just need to get my skimmer back." Aerrow agreed. "I'm going to go and look for this body shop. You guys do whatever you want."

"BUT!" Stork jumped in, "We would like to get our precious ship, you know, updated." He twittered his fingers together and his left eye began to twitch.

"AND!" Piper added, "I… I mean we would like to get a look around and study the crystals in those towers over there." She pointed to the three towers at the center of the terra. The man stared at them himself in wonderment. "How did you know there were crystals in there?" he asked.

"Well, it's easy. You see, some crystals give off a signal when they are put into a generator that uses their ability to change or improve the environment they're in." She pulled out a detector with a dial and a meter. "I picked it up with this, and I'm curious to know what crystals are being used in there. For some reason, I can't detect what they are."

"Those crystals are why we can live here in Okradana. You see, our terra is so far up in the sky, that it is hard to breathe. With the help of those crystals, it makes it easier for us--" his voiced trailed off as he and Piper walked on toward the towers. Finn and Junko made for the nearest food court they could find. Finn was also curious to see what kind of gorgeous women he could find in a terra that is nearly impossible to find. Stork had been hooked up with a few mechanics and technician specialists to help with the Condor.

Aerrow stood staring up at a what appeared to be a rounded floating hanger bed with skimmers and ships heading in and out, while others rested on the side of the building. Long, heavy chains kept the floating body shop connected to the terra. When he and Radarr moved in closer, he saw that it wasn't floating, but simply being held up by a large pipe connected to the cliff side wall behind it.

He pulled out the card from his back pocket and noted that this was the correct address. "Well, Radarr, let's go find this 'R' person and get our skimmer back." Radarr nodded in agreement and they made their way up to the mechanic's shop above.

Inside, men wondered back and forth in their tan and brown gear, shouting out orders or occupying themselves with ripping out wires and rusted motors or putting a wrench to good use. Gushes of air echoed throughout the shop and sounds of welding could be heard in the back. It was much bigger inside than it appeared to be. Both of the Storm Hawks couldn't help but gawk in wonder. It was truly amazing. While some skimmers rested in pieces, others were displayed in gleaming beauty. Looking at them, Aerrow remembered why he had sought out the shop in the first place: To find his own skimmer.

By the time he turned to begin looking for R, he and Radaar were approached by a grey-haired man with tawny eyes and a thick, grey mustache. "Can I help you two out with something?" Aerrow answered yes and handed over the card the pink-haired girl had given Radaar. "We're looking for… um… this 'R' person? Is she here?" The man took the card and smiled. "Ah. Yes. This way, please." He motioned with his gloved hand for them to follow.

They stopped before a large engine for a ship that was most likely grander than the Condor, Aerrow thought. The man held his hand up to his mouth and shouted so that he could be heard over the welding. "YO! Rei!! You got customers!! Take care of it!" He pointed up at her with his thumb and told the red-headed boy, "She'll assist you with whatever you need."

"Okay. Thanks." He felt his heart race when he turned around to see Rei sit up and pull back her face mask. There were those grey eyes again, now full of warmth and welcome. Her smile was simple and sweet. She wore the same outfit as the rest of the mechanics there, except her jacket had short sleeves and was opened to reveal a simple white top cut off at the upper abdominal. And that long, pink hair still fascinated him. How was it anyone could stand to have that much hair? He wondered. Still, it made her stand out. (Not that she already stood out, being the only female working in the shop.)

"Hey! It's you! I was beginning to wonder if you would ever show up." She giggled, "I forgot to give you proper directions, too. Sorry!"

"Don't worry about it! Now, about my skimmer."

Rei leaped up and swung down on a loose rope. Aerrow shook his head and chuckled when she landed in front of him. Pushing back her bangs, she smiled and explained as they walked, "I have your skimmer in the back. I wanted to thank you for saving my life back there. I was a little rude and under a bit of a panic."

Aerrow replied, "It's okay. I understand. You were under attack by the Cyclonians after all. It's hard not to be under a panic like that when they come up all of a sudden. You didn't get hurt or anything did you?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine. Thanks to you." She turned to him when they stopped at a metal door. "That guy would've fried me if you didn't come along and save me. And, like I said, I wanted to thank you for that. So…" She pressed the button to open the door. Inside, Aerrow's skimmer gleamed and shone like it had just been built. The paint was new and brighter than what it's previous face held. All the scratches and dents had been removed and much of the vehicle had been resurfaced and left it looking smoother and cleaner than before. The wind shield had been replaced along with the cushioning of both Aerrow's and Radarr's seats. It was beyond beautiful.

"Thank you." she finished as Aerrow moved in to gawk at his newly refurnished skimmer.

"Wow! Rei. You… You…" Aerrow knelt and ran a finger over the new tires. Radarr circled it slowly, trying to take it in. He was just as lost in it as it's rider was. "Is this really mine? I mean… it looks like my skimmer. Just--"

"--Better?" Rei giggled.

Piper and the patrolman, whose name, she learned, was Mavrikk, toured through the sky towers of Okradana. Here is where Piper discovered that the crystals being used in each tower was a rare rock known as the Platinum Oxystone. She spent her time with Mavrikk learning the history of the crystals and how Okradana came to be.

Stork watched closely over the work being maintained on the Condor with pleasure. Occasionally, he'd make an odd suggestion here and there and requesting installations some of the mechanics would have never thought to dream up.

Finn and Junko rummaged every restaurant they could come across, filling themselves full. And Finn wasted no time when the opportunity to meet a new girl came up.

"Man, Okradana ROCKS!! Awsome food, hot babes! It doesn't get any better than this!!" Finn stared dreamily at a group of women who hung around a fountain while Junko ripped the skin off of a bird leg and chewed hungrily away at it. "And, you know what the best part is?"

"Wha?" Junko asked, his mouth full of food.

"Since this place is kept pretty much kept a secret, and we now know how to get here without having to have the Cyclonians bother us, we have a new vacation getaway! Yup! Not a single… Cyclonian… could… ever know… their way… here?" Finn's and Junko's eyes bugged open when they watched the Dark Ace fly over head with a look of extreme irritation in his eyes. The left wings of his skimmer rattled terribly, where Finn had shot him down earlier. He looked angry. Very angry. Junko looked at Finn, Finn back at Junko, and they both let out a curdling scream. The citizens of Okradana watched and baffled when the two Storm Hawks went running down the street screaming after Piper, Stork, and Aerrow.

Back at the shop, Aerrow and Rei laughed and sat side by side while Radarr pretended to be a sky knight on Aerrow's newly furnished ride. Rei brushed her pink hair from her eyes and trailed a finger over the Storm Hawk symbol on the folded wing. "So, you're a sky knight?"

"Yup," Aerrow answered and reminded his new friend, "Of the Storm Hawks." He smiled and leaned in closer to Rei after he noticed a hint of discomfort in her eyes. She brushed her hand up and down of her arm and sighed.

"I always wanted to be a sky knight." Rei folded her hands over her knees and leaned back.

"What's keeping you?" Aerrow asked curiously, lowering a brow and examining her even further. She shrugged and stood. Stretching, she moved to a rusty tool box and played with random tools she had stored away in there.

"I'm not cut out to be a hero." Though he could no longer see her face, he knew she must've been thinking. Her gray eyes lowered and the tinkling sounds of her tools stopped.

He stood now as well and moved closer to her. Radarr watched them both, "You never know until you try."

Rei turned and smiled. "You think?" She flexed. With the way she wore her gloves and the length of her sleeves, Aerrow could see that she could be everything a sky knight was said to be: Brave, loyal, friendly, pure, and full of honor. But, again she sighed, "I dunno. I mean, I told you some of what I've been through growing up. Would… whoever knights you overlook it the same way you do?"

Aerrow pressed a finger to his lips. "Good question." Then he perked up, "But, you could join a squadron! You can join us!"

"But I--"

Aerrow cut her off before she could further protest, "Rei, I've seen you fly. You're brilliant! And we could really use this," he waved over at the work that was done to his vehicle, "This kind of mechanic work would be very much appreciated. Especially by Stork. At least, maybe with you onboard, he wouldn't have another breakdown." Radarr nodded in agreement. "C'mon, Rei. We could really use your help."

"Aerrow…" she started, but was cut off once again when one of her co-workers came in through the door. It was the same man who helped Aerrow earlier that afternoon.

"Rei. You got a customer. It's him." He winked and pointed behind himself with his thumb. "Asked for you, so you better get out there and help him. His ride looks pretty busted."

She straightened, "Really? Hey, Aerrow! Remember the friend I was telling you about? The one who helped me when I was just a kid and then again when I came to live here?"

"Yeah."

"You want to meet him?"

"Sure!"

The man smiled and left the room. Rei, Aerrow, and Radarr followed. She spoke as they walked, "I haven't seen him in a while now. I was beginning to wonder if he'd ever come back."

In the main garage, Rei and the two Storm Hawks moved to a man with dark hair. Aerrow stopped and Radarr's jaw nearly fell to the ground. Rei ran up to the man and gave him such a hug, that it was beyond shocking for them to see the Dark Ace embrace her back with as much compassion as she showed toward him.

"Ace! Where've you been?! It's been so long now. And what's this new outfit? Looks nice on you, but," she tapped a painted blue nail to her lip. "I think you could do better with the colors."

"Like you have room to talk," Ace pulled at the collar of her shirt, "in these rags. They don't flatter you at all." She noticed his voice was different. Darker. And his eyes seemed almost sinister as he rested them on her face. It made her nervous, so she turned her attention to his damaged skimmer. It was something new as well. Or, maybe, just something she hadn't seen yet. He _was_ always so secretive. She knelt down and examined the damage.

"Aw. I can fix this in no time."

"I knew you would."

She stood and felt a jerk on her arm. Suddenly, she was behind Aerrow and a growling Radarr. Aerrow held out one of his energy blades to the Dark Ace's face. Rei's eyes popped when the red-haired boy shouted at her friend, "Stay away from her!"

Rei pulled at his arm. "Aerrow! What's the matter with you?! He's--"

"--The one who tried to kill you!"

"What?!" She leaned forward to look at Aerrow's face. All who were in earshot stopped what they were doing and turned to watch.

"Rei, listen to me. He's one of them. The Cyclonians! Even worse. He's one of their leaders. The worst one of them all. The Dark Ace."

"Huh?" Her voice was low and almost silent. "Dark Ace?" Her eyes shifted from Aerrow to Ace, who stared back at them with strong distaste. How could that be true? Ace was her friend, her mentor. She owed her very life to him. More than just her life. And the man Aerrow had told her about in earlier conversations was nothing more than a monster, Rei thought.

Either out of denial or false hope, she pushed Aerrow aside and approached him. "That's not true is it? You wouldn't stoop so low as to be one of them." Then her eyes fell to the crest he wore on his chest. Rei had never seen a Cyclonian up close nor did she ever really encounter one. Okradana was so foreign to the world below, they never had to worry about such a threat before. It hit her hard when the very faint memory of him in a blue uniform that bared the same symbol Aerrow wore on his back flashed through her mind. Then the sky knight's words replayed in her mind as she stared at that picture in her head.

"_They were betrayed by a man who calls himself the Dark Ace. If there were any Cyclonian to fear, it would be him. But, I plan to stop him, so you've got nothing to worry about!"_

_The pictured burned away and his new face stood smiling in front of her. The Dark Ace stood smiling at her._

_To be continued…_


	3. DID

It hit her hard when the very faint memory of him in a blue uniform that bared the same symbol Aerrow wore on his back flashed through her mind. Then the sky knight's words replayed in her mind as she stared at that picture in her head.

"_They were betrayed by a man who calls himself the Dark Ace. If there were any Cyclonian to fear, it would be him. But, I plan to stop him, so you've got nothing to worry about!"_

The pictured burned away and his new face stood smiling in front of her. The new symbol he wore was that of the Cyclonians, a terrifying force out to turn the all of Atmos into a living nightmare. A force Rei , and the terra she currently resided in, had no interest to turn to.

Before Aerrow could move in between them again, Rei had already gripped a fist onto Ace's collar and pulled him in for a little one on one chat. All the sweetness in her face vanished right before them. Replacing it was something more malice and unforgiving. For a moment, it made the Dark Ace think of Master Cyclonis, only a little more frightening. Because, for that same moment, he saw a part of Rei he'd only hoped to see should she join him in his quest to destroy the Storm Hawks once and for all.

"You know, I always knew you to hide secrets and hang a little on the dark side. And you did have a knack for betrayal, but I never thought you'd turn that skinny little back on me. I mean, how could you?" Her voice softened and her eyes filled with faint hope. She let her grip on him loosen when she continued apologetically, "Maybe it was someone that looked like you?"

Aerrow, Radarr, and even the Dark Ace nearly fell to the floor in bafflement as Rei pressed a finger to her lip in deep thought. "Rei," Aerrow started but was interrupted once more when the Dark Ace grabbed his pink-haired friend and whirled her around to face them.

He pressed his blade to her neck and smiled at Aerrow. His eyes never left the Storm Hawks as spoke, "Sorry, Rei. Nothing personal. I just didn't want you making any stupid decisions, as you often do."

"What!?" She protested in insult, but didn't hesitate to lean more into him as the blade drifted closer to the nape of her neck. "So, you're gonna blast me to pieces, or take off of my head before I even know what it was I was supposedly going to do? Man, you're weird."

The Dark Ace tightened his grip on her arm and jerked on it as if to tell her to 'shut up.' She let out a small whimper at the sudden jerk and nearly lost her footing.

"Why you!" Aerrow activated his blades once more and debated whether to move in on him or not for the fear of risking Rei's safety. At his feet, Radarr growled and bared his teeth. "Let her go!"

"Sorry, Aerrow…" he singled out his name again and then, " I'm afraid she's going to have to come with me. We need to talk." With that he hurled Rei over a random skimmer he hoped worked and lept on after her. The engine roared underneath them and sped off as Aerrow and Radarr first attempted to follow on foot. He risked a glance over his shoulder and let out a laugh of triumph as he listened to Aerrow call out his friend's name.

Beside Aerrow, various co-workers of Rei also called out to her in distress. One man with bright yellow hair turned on Aerrow, "This is your fault! Cylconia never would've found us if you hadn't of come along! Now he's got our Rei!"

Before Aerrow could speak, the man who had helped him find Rei earlier stepped in and spoke up. "Don't blame him! That man knew about our terra for some time now." Her turned to face his employees and the sky knight, and continued, "I don't think we really have anything to worry about. Or… I hope we don't. He was the one who brought that girl to us, remember? To protect her."

Radarr and Aerrow traded confused looks. "Protect her?"

The man dug into his back pocket and pulled out two faded papers. Announcements. Some men mumbled, while others stared in just as much question as Aerrow and Radarr. Aerrow took the notices and opened them. On it was a scratchy image of Rei's face. She was much younger in this photo. Not yet a teenager, it appeared. Below her photo read:

**R.G. Wanted for Piracy.**

And the next notice also had a photo, only a couple of years older. It read:

**Generous Reward for this child.**

**Please notify The Colonel of any known locations.**

"Rei's wanted by the Colonel?! What'd she do?" Aerrow's green eyes met with the man's.

"No one knows. That man that just took her told us to 'Keep her safe. And, no matter what happens, don't let anyone outside of this city see her.' I thought maybe he was family. He gave me those before he left and asked I not share the information. To tell you the truth, I never trusted Ace, but, I did grow fond of Rei. She's like my own daughter. Strange, I know, but, it's easy to get attached to someone as sweet as she is."

Aerrow knew that. In one incomplete day, he'd grown very fond of her himself after only speaking with her for a couple of hours. She did mention that she was kidnapped by pirates and that, in order to survive, had to adapt to their lifestyle. However, after running away and running into old 'friends', she didn't say much else about her history.

"Eh, listen, kid."

Aerrow looked up at him.

"I don't know what Ace is up to, but, I don't like it. None of us do." Everyone agreed. "Okradana is a neutral terra. We have no sky knight or anyone to protect us. The Storm Hawks helped us back then. Will they help us now?"

Radarr grinned a big toothy grin, and his friend did the same as one of the mechanics pulled in his vehicle.

"Please save our friend."

Piper gritted her teeth with worry, along with Finn and Junko, as they flew above the streets of Okradana to find Aerrow. Stork, as much as he hated to stop work on the Condor, readied the ship for take off, just in case there were to be any severe trouble.

"Are you sure it was him? I mean, you shot him down, how could he be here?" Piper stared over at Finn.

"Oh, I'm sure!" he replied.

"How? I mean, it could've been someone that looked like him."

"Oh, I know. Because he's right there!!"

Finn and Piper swerved opposite from each other as The Dark Ace zoomed in between them. Junko glanced back and narrowed his brows in confusion at what appeared to be a girl kicking her legs and swinging her arms out in wild punches at the Cyclonian warrior.

"Huh?" Junko's ear twitched at the sound of another air vehicle moving in. When he turned his gaze, he saw Aerrow whiz over, screaming out whoots of joy and excitement.

"Um…" Finn asked, "Why does he seem… happy… about this?"

Piper shrugged but smiled, relieved to see him.

"Wow! His ride looks really nice!!" Junko exclaimed.

"What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?!" Rei looked up at the Dark Ace the best she could. "Why are you doing this?"

"Be quiet!" he commanded. "And sit still, you'll topple us both!!" The skimmer rocked and jerked a bit.

"That's not me! You were the one who grabbed the nearest piece of junk and took off. Anyone could see how scrap this thing is by looking at it." She taunted him.

He rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. "In any case, you're coming with me. We will have much use for your skills and talents in Cyclonia."

"Cyclonia?! I'm not going anywhere with you!" She rammed an elbow into his ribs, nearly knocking him off of the skimmer. Sitting up, she swung around and threw a fist into his face. Her left hand curled and aimed for his jaw. He stopped her and used her to pull himself up. Then, he flipped over her to avoid a third blow and managed to slam the back of his fist across her face. She fell and hit the seat below her hard. His ribs ached and his face throbbed, but, for some reason, seeing the pain in her expression pulled at him and brought a pang of hurt deeper than those physical blows. She fixed her eyes on his and whispered, "Aerrow was right about you."

Hearing those words, and Aerrow's name, infuriated him. He lost sight to his rage and grabbed at the collar of her shirt. Pulling her up off her feet, he pulled out his duel-bladed sword and again held it to her throat. "If it weren't for me, you'd be nothing but a slave to that spider freak, the Colonel. But, maybe I should have left you there. This pathetic, coward's terra has made you soft. Both of us know, you could have so much more than this. The power you're capable of." He smiled now at seeing the smallest trickle of fear growing in her eyes. "Grim Reaper."

"NO!" She kicked him back and tried to steady herself so that she wouldn't fall. "I'm not going back to that! Especially for some spoiled brat like Cyclonis!"

"You're going to regret this."

She smiled and raised her fists. "Make me."

With that, he swung his sword down at her with full force. Rei gasped and dove beneath him with a sharp, "Whoa!" Her grip on the right wing tightened when they both realized that when his sword went through the engine. Rei didn't plan it, but, she figured something as such would happen. The skimmer's humming choked and sputtered as sparks flew out in every which way when Ace pulled out his weapon.

"Good job!" she taunted again.

He swung down and sliced off the wing Rei clung to. She yelped and reached out for the lower wing, only to realize the vehicle was that of a classic split-wing model. While he dove off and activated his hang-glider, she continued to fall and screamed in fear of her early demise.

"I got you!"

Junko raised out his hands and caught the girl before she could fall any further. To him, she was almost lighter than a feather as he held her in his bulky arms. He smiled when she opened her eyes and looked into his face in wonderment.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-- Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem!"

Rei tightened her arms around the wallops neck and buried her face deep into his chest and they both screamed when the Dark Ace nearly collided into them, causing Junko's skimmer to whirl and loop several times before he regained control of it. "Huh Huh! Whoa. That was close." She smiled at him and nodded in agreement.

Above them, Aerrow gave Radarr control of his skimmer as he dove down after the Dark Ace. He narrowed his eyes and smiled as he fell. The wind was on his side when he, too, pulled out his glider wings to make his way to his greatest rival. The Dark Ace snarled when Aerrow fell into his sight. Though it was a difficult feat, they both managed to pull out their blades and fly full speed into one another. They clashed weapons together, each trying desperately to take down the other.

Aerrow slammed one blade down and parried when Dark Ace whirled and swung up in attempt to take the sky knight's head. Then he, in turn, kicked into Aerrow's stomach to save himself from what appeared to be an attack that resembled the blades of scissors closing together at his own neck. One fierce blow was exchanged with another, but, the Dark Ace was coming out on top once again. But, he was careless with on attack and in the end managed to have both of their gliders damaged severely. Too severe to keep them in the air.

They became a small tornado of swinging swords as they lost control of their gliders and slammed hard onto the marble floors of Okradana. Aerrow rolled into the fountain while Ace slammed into a nearby cart.

Finn and Piper landed soon after, both of them calling and running after Aerrow. Piper knelt by Aerrow and pressed a hand over his ribs. His hand covered hers and their eyes met, exchanging words without having to speak. He was fine, but still needed some tending to. She helped him to his feet as Finn stood by with his crossbow out and pointed at the shattered cart.

Above the Condor loomed over with it's newly designed guns pointed where the Dark Ace stood up. He snarled and thought he could see that paranoid merb smiling deviously down at him.

Junko pulled in next to Finn and Rei continued to cling to him. Her eyes met with Ace's and for a moment, she thought she saw a twinkle of sadness in him. Maybe it was regret. But, he spoke to her and only to her.

"Like I said… You're going to regret this. Unless you choose to join me." He held out a hand, but she only tightened her hold on Junko, and Junko tightened his hold on her.

Ace laughed. Just laughed. The Storm Hawks, and Rei, stared at him, confused with his reaction. After a moment, he finally gathered himself and continued to speak, "So be it. You will suffer with the rest of them."

Each of them now stood in defense when he raised an arm into the sky. A talon skimmer flew over them and scooped up it's leader, taking him back into the sky. The sight of him vanished behind the various buildings that surrounded them.

Finn turned to face his friends, "Why do I have the feeling he's coming back? With friends?"

Piper frowned and continued to support Aerrow on her shoulder, "This isn't good. We have to do something. Okradana's in danger now that he knows where it is."

"And Okradana doesn't have any sky knights." Aerrow pointed out. "Somehow, we need to convince the people here to be ready. See if they have anyone who can fight back."

"But, this is a peaceful terra. Mavrikk told me that no one here knows how to sky battle." Piper replied in a worried voice.

"That's not true."

They all turned to face the pink-haired girl now standing next to Aerrow.

"I can fight."

"Good." Piper's face darkened in concern as she turned her head to the sky to see a whole fleet of Talons move into the terra. "Because we're gonna need all the help we can get."

**To be continued in Pt. 2**

**A.N. Yey! Part 2 coming soon. **


End file.
